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The Orange Box
(Xbox 360; $59.99; Rated T-M for Blood/Gore/Intense Violence/Language; half-life2.com)



The single greatest deal in videogames is found nowhere else but in “The Orange Box” from Valve and EA Games. For the regular price of a next-gen game, players get five different titles- each one worthy of justifying it’s own $60 price tag.

Hear that frugal shoppers? You’re getting $300 worth of gaming in a $60 package. That’s one heck of a deal…

If you like first-person shooters.


Because “The Orange Box” is nothing but first-person adventuring, but what a package: the award-winning “Half-Life 2,” the episodic and equally engaging mini-sequels “Half-Life 2: Episode One” and “Half-Life 2: Episode Two,” the fragtastic multiplayer “Team Fortress 2,” and the absolutely addictive puzzler “Portal.”

If you like story-driven adventures fueled by engaging single-player gameplay that helped shape modern shooters- look no further than “Half-Life 2” which, with the power of the 360, looks and plays much closer to its PC brother than the original Xbox version. “Half-Life 2: Episodes One & Two” continue the Half-Life story, but in shorter, episodic content; though “episodic” is a bit of a misnomer- when Valve Software announced episodic content for “Half-Life” most gamers expected quick experiences, akin to television shows to a feature-length film. In actuality, the episodes are more similar to full games than they are to short experiences. “Episode One” has been available on PC previously, but “Episode Two” is all-new, and the level of graphics, textures, and game physics get better throughout the three “Half-Life” titles- an illustration of the evolution of a series by designers who had time to refine.
“Team Fortress 2” is a class-based shooter whose style differentiates from “Halo 3” to be able to coincide with the mammoth shooter’s release. If Pixar made a military shooter, it would look exactly like “Team Fortress 2-“ imagine “The Incredibles” but with lots of guns and limitless ammunition. The class-distinction in “Team Fortress” requires teammates to think about what type of soldier will best assist the team in its objectives. Is it “The Heavy” who is a veritable tank of a man, “The Spy” who can take on the appearance of enemy teammates to sneak undetected into enemy lines, or the room-clearing “Pyro?” Each class has it’s own weakness- but all are strong in fun. The only weakness to “Team Fortress 2” is the lack of variety in maps and gametypes which can leave players wanting more.
Nothing has been more of a refreshing delight than the under-hyped “Portal,” a game that will bend your mind with its puzzles. Armed with a “portal gun,” players will have to escape the many levels of an experimental training course using the ability to create portals to bend space. Fire a portal at the wall, and a second portal at the ceiling, and players will be able to walk through one and out the other. Early levels are simple, later levels require quick reflexes and thinking through a fourth-dimension in order to move from one side of the room to the other. Thankfully, levels increase slowly so that players’ minds don’t melt from thinking too hard. But for anyone who’s a fan of puzzle-based games, “Portal” is one of the best out there, and unlike any “Tetris” or “Bejeweled” you’ve played before.
“The Orange Box” is a must-have in terms of value and replayability. Put this one at the top of your gift wish-list if you haven’t been enjoying it already.